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Snailbeach Lead Mine

 

 

Surface Virtual Tour

 

 

 

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HOME

PLAN YOUR VISIT

VIRTUAL TOUR

INFORMATION

HISTORY

SNAILBEACH RAILWAY

This page is undergoing a re-build at the moment (Oct 2011)

 

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PARK IN THE VILLAGE HALL CAR PARK (SJ373022)

 

This is on the right as you climb the hill from the Shrewsbury-Bishops Castle road.   If it is full then you can park on the grass area to the side and below.  The car park belongs to the Village Hall and, although no charge is made, voluntary contributions to its upkeep would be appreciated in the box provided.  There are toilets here, as well as a children’s play area on the grass below.  [As at February 2011 the Council was considering closing the toilets and their future is unknown at present]. There is a display board on the outside wall of the toilet block that will give you some basic information on the mine and there are more as you go around.

 

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Some distance away from the mine itself, in Hope Valley, is the portal of Wagbeach Level (SJ364025)  This is the drainage level of the mine and here are the remains of a 36ft waterwheel that, at an early stage of the working of Snailbeach, drove the pumps to drain the mine.  These are on private land but a footpath goes close to it.  Wagbeach Level is 1,200 yards long, reaching the mine at George's Shaft at a depth of 112 yards.  It has collapsed close to the entrance but the water still drains through.

 

     

 

With your back to the car park, turn right along the road for about 100 yards, passing the Village Hall.  On the right is a bridleway going down to the left of a white house.  Follow this down and round the corner on the right you will find the grilled entrance to Scott Level.  This is a mystery as it leads to extensive passages that are not connected to Snailbeach Mine.

 

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CROSS THE ROAD TO THE SIGN UP TO LORDSHILL.  GO THROUGH THE

SMALL WOODEN GATE AND WALK UP THE HILL ALONG THE PATH

 

 

 

On the left are the remains of an Engine House.  The Halvans Company were processing the tips here between 1911-1930s and the engine house was used to operate the machinery.  There was a small rectangular chimney, which was actually false, being used for a fireplace on the first floor.  In the east wall was an A-frame as part of the brickwork and this was where the drive for the conveyor ran out of the building.  The cylinder foundations and a flywheel pit are inside the engine house, these operated a crusher and screens which lay on the west side of the building.  The old white tips have now been grassed over.  An estimated 8,000 cubic metres of mine spoil were removed from the tips for backfilling unsafe underground workings and this was added to over 2,000 tonnes of grout.

 

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CARRY ON UP THE TRACK.  WHERE IT FLATTENS OUT, THERE IS A ROCKY AREA ON THE LEFT.  YOU MAY COLLECT ROCK SAMPLES HERE FOR YOUR PERSONAL COLLECTION ONLY.

 

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GO THROUGH ANOTHER GATE AND CROSS THE ROAD TO A SIGN

 

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TURN RIGHT ALONG A TRACK NEXT TO THE FENCE

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The rails soon disappear under the surface of the modern track but you will come to two stone abutments.  This was a bridge where waste rock from the mine was pushed in wagons over the railway and dumped on the tips.  At ground level, you can see the lever that moved some points.

 

 TURN LEFT IN FRONT OF A BUILDING WITH BIG DOORS

 

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The Snailbeach District Railway to Minsterley was built in 1877, to take lead to customers and bring back coal for the boilers.  This Locomotive Shed was used to house several steam locomotives.

This building is normally kept locked but you can make arrangements to gain access via the Visits Co-ordinator if there are no Trust members on site.  A collection of mining equipment is kept inside.

 

 

 

Towards the end of the railway's life, the trucks were hauled by a tractor instead of a steam locomotive.  In the loco shed is an old Fordson tractor that was found abandoned on site.  It is believed to have been used at one stage for operating machinery at the Upper Works but it is not known if this was the tractor used to haul trucks.

 

         A full-sized replica of a SDR truck was recently made and this is kept inside the Loco Shed.

 

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GO LEFT UP THE STEPS

 

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On the left is the Mine Office that was used in the 1950s.  The fireplace on the facing outside wall was a small room where the lead ore was assayed to ascertain how much lead metal it contained.

 

     

 

On the right is the Blacksmith's Shop where machinery and tools were made for the mine. This building is normally kept locked but if you can make arrangements to gain access via the Visits Co-coordinator if there are no Trust members on site. 

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Inside are a forge and bellows which have been restored and are operated on Open Day.

This was a separate blacksmith’s shop for sharpening men’s tools which has now been demolished.

Next to it is a small stone building, which is believed to be a very old Pumping Engine House that operated in George’s Shaft.

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In front of the Blacksmith’s Shop is the filled George's Shaft (750ft), with a wooden headgear that was rebuilt in July 1999. It is here that the fatalities occurred in 1895 (note that this originally had two winding wheels but one was removed towards the end of the 19th Century).

 

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Across from the shaft is the Winding Engine House which held a horizontal steam winder that was installed in 1872. Behind the engine house was a small Reservoir that fed the boilers.

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To the left of the engine house was the Miner’s Dry (now converted into a Visitor Centre), where miners placed wet working clothes over steam pipes to dry for the next day.  This is open to the public on Summer Sundays and Bank Holidays and Trust members will be pleased to show you into the buildings or take you into Day Level (see below).  You can also make arrangements to gain access via the Visits Co-coordinator if there are no Trust members on site.  Next to this is the newly rebuilt Barracks, where some miners stayed during the week. . 

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      To the left of this is the grilled entrance of Day Level, which was driven in 1848 to intersect the Lordshill Engine Shaft. Ore could be unloaded here from kibbles and pushed in wagons straight out to the Crusher House, on the other side of the track. When the Visitor Centre is open, you can have a tour underground or arrangements can be made for other times via the Visits Co-coordinator.

 

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On the other side of the track are the remains of the Crusher House, Carpenters Shop and Saw Pit, now grilled over.

 

     

 

Next to Day Level is the Compressor House and its chimney, which contained two Siemens & Edwards compressors installed in 1881.

 

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The Boiler House has disappeared but the flues can still be seen.

 

 

 

GO BACK TO DAY LEVEL AND CLIMB THE PATH JUST TO THE LEFT OF IT

 

 

 

The white building on the left is the Count House, where the Mine Manager lived and where the miners were paid.

 

 

 

CARRY ON UP THE PATH AND FOLLOW GREEN ARROWS RIGHT AT T-JUNCTION,

LEFTAT A Y-JUNCTION AND  LEFT AT ANOTHER T-JUNCTION TO A TRACK

 

On the right just before the top is what appears to be a grilled mine entrance.  This is in fact merely a short access tunnel under the track.

 

 

 

AT THE TOP, CROSS THE TRACK AND WALK TO THE GRILLED SHAFT

 

 

 

This is Lordshill Engine Shaft (1,300ft) and, although it is still open, it has been grilled at surface for safety.

 

On the left is a Winding Engine House, containing a horizontal steam winder, was sited on the left and this wound ore in the shaft up to Day Level, using flat ropes. Next to this are the remains of the Boiler House.

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On the right is a Pumping Engine House that used the same boilers as the winder. It was installed in 1858 and housed a 60" engine. Provision for the balance bob at surface is plainly visible and the ground depression between the engine house and shaft marks the site of the condenser cistern. The engine house itself is of massive construction and the lever wall is 6ft thick. Four large gritstone blocks on the floor mark the site of the cylinder, with holes for the holding down bolts going down more than 10ft through the foundations. The pit between the cylinder and lever wall was for the valve gear, worked by plunger rods hung from the beam. The engine had an unequal beam with a stroke of 6ft at the cylinder and 9ft at the pump rods. The diameter of the pumps was recorded as 6 inches. The Lordshill engine stopped pumping in January 1919 and, after this, the mine flooded to adit level.

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Straight ahead is a recess that held the Balance Bob.  This acted as a counterweight for the pump rods in the shaft.

The boiler flues led into the Main Flue, which ran from the smelter up the hill to the Octagonal Chimney above. This is the largest chimney in the district and is constructed of red brick resting on a square greystone base.

Between the Pumping Engine House and the track is a small building which housed a steam winch that hauled up trucks of coal for the boilers along an incline.  The line of the incline can still be seen heading off from the track on the left hand side.

 

 

 

A bit further down the track, follow some steps up to the right.  This will lead you to a grilled over section of the collapsed Main Flue.

 

 

 

 

 

GO BACK TO THE TRACK AND FOLLOW IT DOWN.  STOP AT THE ROAD JUNCTION

 

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Straight across is the Candle House. This is where the tallow candles were produced and stored, which the miners had to buy themselves.

 

 

 

WALK ALONG THE TRACK OPPOSITE

 

On the left you will pass the Magazine, built in 1863 and consisting of two concentric square walls, allowing one-way traffic of men going to collect explosives

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CARRY ON ALONG THE TRACK, PAST TWO COLLAPSED LEVELS ON THE RIGHT

 

 

 

TAKE A RIGHT FORK NEXT TO A HOUSE

 

On the right is the grilled entrance to Perkins Level, driven earlier this century to mine barite when the price of lead dropped.  Trucks were pushed from the entrance across the track (the rails are still in situ) to a loading bay.  Here it was dropped into trucks at a lower level and taken to the Upper Works.

 

   

 

WALK UP THE FOOTPATH TO THE LEFT OF THE LEVEL AND THROUGH A STILE ON THE RIGHT. 

CARRY ON UP  TO THE ROAD, PASSING A CAPPED VENTILATION SHAFT ON PERKINS LEVEL

 

 

 

AT THE ROAD, TURN LEFT AND FOLLOW THE ROAD UP THE HILL.  FOLLOW IT ROUND TO THE RIGHT

 

On the left you can see two low circular features that are the caps of shafts.  They have been built in this way to allow bats to enter.

 

 

 

Straight ahead you can see the Lordshill Chapel where some of the miners are buried.

 

 

 

FOLLOW THE ROAD ROUND TO THE LEFT AND THROUGH A GATE

 

On the left is the capped Chapel Shaft, sunk by the adjacent landowner in the 1860s to exploit the expected continuation of the lead veins which were not there!  After the venture failed, Snailbeach Mine acquired the shaft for ventilation and access.

 

 

 

Next to it are the remains of the Winding Engine House which had a converted ship's capstan installed in 1862. The engine house has almost completely collapsed but the underground flue and a small square chimney can still be seen, the latter on the hillside on the other side of the road.  The long flue helped to increase the draught to the fire under the boilers.

 

     

 

FOLLOW THE ROAD BACK DOWN TO THE CANDLE HOUSE. TURN RIGHT ALONG THE

TRACK AS BEFORE BUT THIS TIME TAKE THE FIRST LEFT FORK PASSING TO THE

LEFT OF THE POWDER HOUSE. WALK STRAIGHT ACROSS A TRACK JUNCTION

 

The small building on the left was the Valve House that controlled the flow of water from the main reservoir to sub-reservoirs lower down.

 

   

 

GO BACK TO THE TRACK AND TURN LEFT UPHILL FOR A SHORT DISTANCE. 

WHERE THE TRACK FORKS, TAKE THE LEFT HAND ONE AND PASS THROUGH A

GATE.  FOLLOW THE  FOOTPATH ALONG THE SIDE OF THE RESERVOIR

 

The large Reservoir on the left provided water for the boilers and dressing floors. In the very dry summer of 2011 the reservoir dried out completely for the first time anyone could remember. There  are no signs of leaks so it is a bit of a mystery at the moment!

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he footpath ends at a large green shed which is the Upper Works.  Go up the steps.

 

 

 

This area dates from the 1930s and was used to crush and process the barite mined from Perkins Level.  Barite from here was sent to the Windscale (now called Sellafield) nuclear reactor accident to smother fuel cells. Underground mining ceased in 1955 but the tips were re-worked until the 1970s.   The machinery was worked by flatbelt from a tractor, which may be the one currently being refurbished in the Loco Shed.

 

     

 

   

 

GO BACK TO THE VALVE HOUSE TRACK JUNCTION AND THIS TIME GO STRAIGHT ON

 

On the left, in the trees, is a shallow cutting with the railway loop for taking coal up to the Lordshill boilers.

 

     

 

Further down, on the right, is the grilled Paraffin Level. In the 1940s, on a fine day, the men came out for their lunch and when they returned they found that where they had been working had collapsed.

 

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CARRY ON ALONG THE TRACK PAST A HOUSE ON THE RIGHT TO A ROAD. TURN

RIGHT ALONG ROAD AND, WHERE THE ROAD BENDS LEFT, GO STRAIGHT ON

ALONG A TRACK. LOOK FOR RAILWAY LINES ON THE LEFT AND TAKE A PATH ON

THE RIGHT OPPOSITE THESE. FOLLOW THIS ROUND TO THE LEFT INTO THE TREES

 

 

 

This is the area of Black Tom Shaft (120ft), which was sunk in the 1820s and carried on working barite into this century.  You will first come across a metal saw bench, hand windlass and some concrete bases from a steam engine, classifier and jiggers.  The wooden classifier has being rebuilt and is in the Loco Shed, whilst the jiggers are being rebuilt.

 

     

 

   

 

 

 

 

The shaft has now been filled and fitted with a mock shaft top. It originally had a horse gin but this was replaced in the 1880s by a small steam engine, seated on top of its boiler, which was housed in the small wooden Winding Engine House. There was a double pulley on the headgear, which has collapsed but been placed into store.   Half buried in the undergrowth is the remains of a truck.

 

     

 

     

 

 

 

GO BACK TO THE TRACK AND FOLLOW THE RAILS THROUGH THE TREES TO THE ROAD

 

   

 

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the road, the wide flat area was the washing floor where ore was separated by gravity processes.

 

   

 

At the far side, you can see Jiggers and a Grizzly, devices that were used to sieve out ore.

 

       

 

There was a railway loop here to a loading bay and you can see a modern day mining truck.

 

 

 

Part of the washing floor had a long building on it and, from here, dressed ore was dropped down into trucks in a Tunnel.  This went under the road to take ore to where it was stored in the Ore House. The grilled entrance to the Tunnel is in the courtyard of the Ore House. To the left of the Ore House is a rocky area where geologists are allowed to collect samples.

 

 

  

 

The Smelt House is situated about 1 mile north-west of the main area and was supplied with ore by a tramway. The remains are on private land and anyone wishing to see them should contact the Visits Co-coordinator.  Flues from the hearths run under the fields to a nearby red brick beehive condenser. This was supported in the past by lashings of flat steel winding rope but part of the wall has collapsed. The six furnace flues and the main chimney flue are all spaced geometrically around the base of the condenser. From here, the main flue continues underground to join the Octagonal Chimney on the hillside above.

 

WALK BACK DOWN THE HILL AND TURN RIGHT ALONG THE ROAD

TO A GATE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE BEFORE THE BRIDGE

 

 

 

Looking back the way you just came, the site of the car park on the right is known as Lower Works and this is where ore was once processed.

 

 

 

 

GO THROUGH THE GATE

 

On the left are some Circular Buddles, which were used to separate small particles of lead ore from waste material. The cutting marks the route of the Snailbeach District Railway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are some old photos of the mine when it was working.  It is impossible to get a modern day equivalent photo of most of these due to the trees that have been planted on the valley sides.